महाभूतान्यहङ्कारो बुद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च ।
इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचरा: ॥
इच्छा द्वेष: सुखं दु:खं सङ्घातश्चेतना धृति: ।
एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम् ॥
mahābhūtāny ahaṅkāro buddhir avyaktam eva ca |
indriyāṇi daśaikaṁ ca pañca cendriya-gocarāḥ ||
icchā dveṣaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ saṁghātaś cetanā dhṛtiḥ |
etat kṣetraṁ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛtam ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 13.5-6)
“The [five] gross elements (mahābhūtas), the ego (ahaṅkāra), the intellect (buddhi), the unmanifested [i.e., prakṛti], the ten senses and the one [additional one], the five objects of the senses, desire, aversion, happiness, suffering, the aggregate [i.e., the body], consciousness, and resolution—this in sum is said to be the field (kṣetra) along with its transformations.”
Commentary
cetanā jñānātmikā mano-vṛttiḥ | … ete ceddhādayo dṛśyatvān nātma-dharmāḥ, api tu mano-dharmā eva | ataḥ kṣetrāntaḥpātina eva | upalakṣaṇaṁ caitat saṅkalpādīnām | tathā ca śrutiḥ—‘kāmaḥ saṅkalpo vicikitsā śraddhāśraddhā dhṛtir adhṛtir hrīr dhīr bhīr ity etat sarvaṁ mana eva’ iti | anena ca yādṛg iti pratijñātāḥ kṣetra-dharmā darśitāḥ | etat kṣetraṁ savikāram indriyādi-vikāra-sahitaṁ saṅkṣepeṇa tubhyaṁ mayoktam iti kṣetropasaṁhāraḥ |
(Excerpt from the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“‘Consciousness’ (cetanā), constituted of awareness (jñāna), is a function of the mind. … ‘Desire’ (icchā) and so forth—these, furthermore, because of [their] being perceptible, are not characteristics of the self (ātmā), but rather are characteristics of the mind alone. Therefore, they are included only in the field (kṣetra) [i.e., they are not said to be characteristics of the knower of the field (kṣetrajña), that is, the ātmā]. This [i.e., this group beginning with desire] is also an indicator (upalakṣaṇa) of resolve (saṅkalpa) and so forth [i.e., and other cognitive functions]. Similarly, too, there is the Śruti [i.e., the statement in BAU 1.5.3], ‘Desire (kāma), resolve (saṅkalpa), uncertainty, faith (śraddhā), disregard (aśraddhā), resolution (dhṛti), lack of resolution, humility, intelligence, and fear—all of these are the mind [i.e., functions of the mind] alone.’ By this [i.e., BG verses 13.5–6], the characteristics of the field (kṣetra) alluded to by ‘such’ (yādṛk) [in BG 13.3] have been shown [here in BG 13.5–6]. This field ‘with [its] transformations,’ that is, with [its] transformations, namely, the senses and so forth, has been described by me to you in brief. With this, there is the conclusion of the [description of] the field (kṣetra).”
tatra kṣetrasya svarūpam āha—mahābhūtānīti | mahābhūtāny ākāśādīny ahaṅkāras tat-kāraṇam | buddhir vijñānātmakaṁ mahat-tattvam ahaṅkāra-kāraṇam | avyaktaṁ prakṛtir mahat-tattva-kāraṇam | indriyāṇi śrotrādīni daśaikaṁ ca manaḥ | indriya-gocarāḥ pañca śabdādayo viṣayāḥ | tad evaṁ caturviṁśati-tattvātmakam iti | icchādayaḥ prasiddhāḥ | saṅghātaḥ pañca-mahābhūta-pariṇāmo dehaḥ | cetanā jñānātmikā mano-vṛttiḥ | dhṛtir dhairyam | icchādayaś caite mano-dharmā eva na tv ātma-dharmāḥ | ataḥ kṣetrāntaḥpātina eva | upalakṣaṇaṁ caitat saṅkalpādīnām | tathā ca śrutiḥ—‘kāmaḥ saṅkalpo vicikitsā śraddhā dhṛtir adhṛtir hrīr dhīr bhīr ity etat sarvaṁ mana eva’ iti | anena yādṛg iti pratijñātāḥ kṣetra-dharmā darśitāḥ | etat kṣetraṁ sa-vikāraṁ janmādi-ṣaḍ-vikāra-sahitam |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“In that regard, he [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] describes the nature of the field (kṣetra) in this verse (mahābhūtāni …). ‘The gross elements’ (mahābhūtāni) refers to space and so forth [i.e., air, fire, water, and earth]. ‘Ego’ (ahaṅkāra) is the cause of these. ‘Intellect’ (buddhi), constituted of discrimination (vijñāna), refers to mahat-tattva, the cause of ego. ‘The unmanifested’ (avyakta) refers to prakṛti [i.e., imperceptible, raw material nature itself], the cause of mahat-tattva. The ‘ten senses’ refers to [the five cognitive senses of[ hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, smelling, [and the five conative senses of] speaking, gasping, walking, excreting, and procreating, and the ‘one’ [additional one] refers to the mind (manas). The ‘five objects of the senses’ (pañca indriya-gocarāḥ) refers to sound and so forth [i.e., touch, form, taste and smell]. Thus, in this way, [the field] is constituted of twenty-four elements. ‘Desire’ (icchā) and so forth are well known. The ‘aggregate’ (saṅghātaḥ) refers to the body, a transformation of the five gross elements. ‘Consciousness’ (cetana) refers to the function of the mind (mano-vṛtti) constituted of awareness (jñāna). ‘Resolution’ (dhṛti) refers to steadiness. ‘Desire’ (icchā) and so forth—these, furthermore, are characteristics of the mind (manas) alone, and not, rather, characteristics of the self (ātmā). Therefore, they are included only in the field (kṣetra) [i.e., they are not said to be characteristics of the knower of the field (kṣetrajña), that is, the ātmā]. This [i.e., this group beginning with desire] is also an indicator (upalakṣaṇa) of resolve (saṅkalpa) and so forth [i.e., and other cognitive functions]. Similarly, too, there is the Śruti [i.e., the statement in BAU 1.5.3], ‘Desire (kāma), resolve (saṅkalpa), uncertainty, faith (śraddhā), disregard (aśraddhā), resolution (dhṛti), lack of resolution, humility, intelligence, and fear—all of these are the mind [i.e., functions of the mind] alone.’ By this [i.e., BG verses 13.5–6], the characteristics of the field (kṣetra) alluded to by ‘such’ (yādṛk) [in BG 13.3] have been shown [here in BG 13.5–6]. This field ‘with [its] transformations’ refers to it with the six transformations of birth and so forth [i.e., existence, growth, change, decay, and destruction].”
icchādayaś catvāraḥ prasiddhāḥ, saṅkalpādīnām upalakṣaṇam etat | ete manodharmāḥ ‘kāmaḥ saṅkalpo vicikitsā śraddhā dhṛtir adhṛtir hrīr dhīr bhīr’ iti śruteḥ | yadyapy ātma-dharmā icchādayo ‘ya ātmā’ ity-ādau ‘satya-kāmaḥ satya-saṅkalpaḥ’ iti śravaṇāt, ‘paṭhed ya icchet puruṣaḥ’ iti sahasra-nāma-stotrāt, ‘puruṣaḥ sukha-duḥkhānāṁ bhoktṛtve hetur ucyate’ iti vakṣyamāṇāc ca, tathāpi mano-dvārābhivyakter manodharmatvam | ataḥ kṣetrāntaḥpātaḥ |
(Excerpt from the Gītā-bhūṣaṇa-ṭīkā)
“‘Desire’ (icchā) and so forth are well known. This [i.e., this group beginning with desire] is also an indicator (upalakṣaṇa) of resolve (saṅkalpa) and so forth [i.e., and other cognitive functions]. These [i.e., desire and forth] are characteristics of the mind (manas), as per the Śruti [i.e., the statement in BAU 1.5.3], ‘Desire (kāma), resolve (saṅkalpa), uncertainty, faith (śraddhā), disregard (aśraddhā), resolution (dhṛti), lack of resolution, humility, intelligence, and fear [—all of these are functions of the mind alone].’ Although desire and so forth are [described as] characteristics of the self (ātmā) on account of hearing [in Chāndogya Upaniṣad 8.7.1] of ‘the ātmā, which is … possessed of true desire and possessed of true resolve [i.e., possessed of infallible desires and resolves which invariably come to be],’ on account of [the statement] ‘A puruṣa [i.e., ātmā] who shall desire [auspiciousness and happiness] should recite [this stotra]’ in the Sahasra-nāma-stotram, and on account of the forthcoming [statement in BG 13.21] ‘The puruṣa is said to be the cause [of its connection with māyā] on account of [its] being the experiencer of [māyika] happinesses and sufferings,’ still they [i.e., desire and so forth] are of the nature of characteristics of the mind because of [their] manifestation [being only] through the mind. Thus, they are included in the field (kṣetra) [rather than considered part of the knower of the field (kṣetrajña), that is, the ātmā].”